


Hell To Your Doorstep

by The_Marron



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Cardverse, Character Death, Introspection, M/M, Misunderstandigs kill people, The Count of Mone Cristo references, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-07-24 16:09:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16178549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Marron/pseuds/The_Marron
Summary: Revenge is like a flame, ready to consume everyone and everything in vicinity.The Queen of Spades is abandoned, but refuses to let go of the throne. Matthew would love to be able to let go of the Queen.Inspired by Gremblim's "Prince Charmless"





	1. A story is told by men who survive

This wasn’t supposed to be like this. Matthew was prepared for a fairy tale, not a nightmare in which he was currently stuck in. What had he done to deserve this? It was not his fault, he knew. It was Alfred's. Always Alfred's.

It was unheard of, for a King to leave his throne without a word of notice. And yet Alfred did exactly that. One night, a little over two months after his wedding and coronation he simply packed his things and disappeared. Like the good brother he was, after discovering the disappearance of his twin, Matthew went to talk to the Queen.

He will never forget the sight that welcomed him in the royal chamber. Arthur, beautiful, powerful Arthur which Matt remembered from his childhood days, was lying in bed, covered with only a duvet, his eyes unseeing, looking right past Matthew.

“He left. Just… left… I’m finished.” Arthur murmured, tears still staining his cheeks. This was the last time Matthew saw him like that. Maybe if he had done something more, tried to understand what Arthur was talking about, maybe then all of this wouldn’t have happened. But no, all he could do was to hug his brother-in-law and whisper some nonsense to calm him down. He had said something about Alfred coming back, about how true his brother’s love was… That was a mistake.

“Love? Who cares about his love?” Arthur shouted, pushing Matthew away. “Let him go and marry whoever he wants, he could become a Queen of Diamonds for all I care!”

Magic sizzled around Arthur and instead of a broken man, there stood the Queen, his royal suit in place.

“Without him I am done for! I will be thrown away like trash and a new king will be chosen. A new king with a new queen. That’s how much your brother loves me! Leaving me here with nothing.” Matthew, terrified, took a step back. He had never paid attention to the position of the Queen, but truly, while the King was born into his position, the Queen was chosen, he had never wondered what happened to widowed queens. Or abandoned ones.

“I’m sure that he will come back soon…”

Arthur’s glare shut him up.

“The moment the Jokers notice his absence, my time here is ended. His return would cause a fight with the new king for his rights. If he won, he would be able to choose a new consort. That’s all.” Then, Arthur fell quiet. In hindsight, that was the last moment Matthew could have done anything to prevent what came next. He didn’t. He had always had problems with saying ‘no’ to Arthur.

The Queen of Spades turned to him.

“A new king… This might be you, am I right?” he said, his voice and gaze suddenly cold, speculative.

“Me? No, my brother was chosen, not me…” Something terrifying shone in Arthur’s eyes.

“Oh, don’t worry, no one would notice the difference. After all, what is the disappearance of a royal brother compared to that of a king?”

“What are you…” He should have known that fairy tales couldn’t exist without a villain. But even if he had, he would have never thought he would join him.

*

Now, almost a year later, he was sitting on the throne, listening to his people’s claims and pleas. On his left there was Arthur, smiling beatifically, listening to Matthew’s words with false fondness on his face. No one noticed. No one was so close to the Queen after all.

But since Alfred’s disappearance Arthur has forgotten any true emotion. In the privacy of his rooms he became cold as ice, his eyes constantly calculating, conjuring one scheme after the other. He snuffed out all conspiracies, hunted down traitors, unmasked foreign spies, all supposedly in the name of the King. Of course, in the long run Arthur's newfound ruthlessness proved most beneficial to the Kingdom of Spades. Alfred had left quite a prosperous country, but now Spades was on the verge of becoming an Empire. A superpower. Arthur's blood-stained hands achieved what Alfred's smiles couldn't. Not that anybody knew.

The politicians were ecstatic, lauding Alfred’s rule, not knowing that it was all completely fake.

There was no Alfred.

Even though he looked at Matthew from every mirror, Alfred was not here. There was only Arthur and his powerful magic, his illusion rings and his sharp mind. Matthew was just a pawn, he was well aware. He wore Alfred’s face thanks to Arthur’s spell, he spoke with his voice and received attention he was never granted while he was still Matthew, the prince’s brother. Some dark part of his soul rejoiced.

 _You’ve always wanted to be Alfred after all. To have people notice you. To have Arthur notice you. You have got everything you wished for_ , whispered a little voice in his head.

 _Be careful what you wish for_ , he thought bitterly. Being Arthur’s husband meant nothing at all. Arthur was the actual ruler of the country and he perceived his own spouse as one of his chess pieces.

He simply told Matthew whatever order needed to be executed and Matthew simply conveyed it to the Jokers. If he ever thought that somehow this intrigue would bring him and Arthur closer together, he was sorely mistaken. No matter what the Queen said, it was clear now, that he had truly loved Alfred.

Now he had no smile, no respect towards anyone, no compassion. He even took pleasure in visits to the battlefields where he wrecked havoc upon whichever band of vagabonds attempted to invade Spades.

“The Queen is strong, it must be the King’s power flowing through him.” The people said, singing praises during national holidays.

It wasn’t. Yes, sometimes Arthur kissed him to replenish mana, but there was a reason Matthew wasn’t the chosen one. He had no magic of his own. All he could give to Arthur was his love.

Love that started a long time ago, when he and Alfred were still children. Arthur was a bit older, a son of one of the nobles.

No one knew what fates awaited them. The previous King and Queen were still alive and three little boys spent their times playing together. Arthur, the oldest one, always shared some stories with them, or pieces of lessons he took at home. The Joneses and Kirklands were living not far away, so the three of them used to meet half way and play in the vast fields surrounding their mansions. It was almost carefree time. Jones family wasn’t very close to the royal line, so Matthew and Alfred could play almost as much as they wanted to. Arthur, however, was from a really important family. He had a lot to study, politics, economy, tactics… He told them all about it, laughing that he has been educated better than the current king. In hindsight, he probably had been.

Matthew loved spending time with Arthur. Arthur knew the best stories and sung beautifully. He was always nice to Matthew, even when Alfred, the energy personified did everything he could to be the focus of Arthur’s attention.

Even as a child, Matthew knew that Arthur was someone special to Alfred. His twin would never admit it out loud, no matter how many times Matt pestered him to, but it was clear to see. Though Alfred affection was mostly conveyed through banter and insults, the days were Arthur couldn’t come to the meeting were the days were Alfred became quiet and subdued. Those days were the days when he would actually pay attention to his brother, mostly to talk about Arthur.

It really was no surprise, that when the King’s mark appeared on Alfred, he had only one candidate for his Queen. It was controversial, unorthodox, but it had happened before, for a King to take a male wizard as his consort.

And Arthur was indeed a powerful wizard, so the court came to terms with the King’s decision. The proposal was the least romantic thing Matthew has ever witnessed and he was pretty sure that Arthur’s heart broke a little when he heard it.

“So, I need a smart Queen, you’ve wasted all your youth studying, so it would be the easiest to chose you and not let your work go to waste.” Alfred had proclaimed, with a smile on his face. Only a faint tremor in his hands betrayed, how much he was affected, how much he cared.

Arthur had remained quiet. His face was blank for a casual viewer, but Matthew spent a lot of time looking solely at Arthur. He was hurt. Yet he held his head high and he answered with no trace of emotion whatsoever:

“If that is the wish of the King.” Matthew assumed that after that they had talked a little, because they both had looked perfectly happy during their wedding and coronation.

Arthur had been truly smiling and Alfred had looked content and happy instead of simply energetic and ready to take action. They suited each other, no matter what Matthew’s traitorous heart whispered to him as he witnessed the ceremony. He really wished them all the best then. 

And then Alfred disappeared, leaving desperate Arthur alone.

 _It was your chance. You’ve wasted it, he slipped away from you_ , accused his internal voice. Maybe if he stopped wearing Alfred’s face, maybe if he stopped reminding Arthur of his brother with every breath he took, maybe then Matthew would be able to finally have his own place in Arthur’s heart. But as he was, he was simply a replacement. A hated replacement.

*

“I have enough, Arthur.” He confessed one night, a year after Alfred’s disappearance.

They were in the royal chamber, a place where they had to go together to keep up appearances and which Arthur left as quickly as he could every tonight.

“I am not Alfred. Stop punishing me for his sins, I used to be your friend too!” Arthur’s face was almost impassive.

“Dear Matthew. I am sorry you feel that this is in any way personal.” That hurt a bit. “ It is not. This country needs a leader. And unfortunately, I cannot be one without the support of the King. The King was gone so I had to make one.” It sounded awfully calculated, but Matthew still could remember Arthur’s devastated face, his tears.

“Even if that is so. I am done. I cannot live this life, Arthur. His life. I want my own.”

“Oh, that is a wonderful idea!” A cold smile crept on Arthur’s face. He snapped his fingers and suddenly Matthew was a few inches shorter, his hair got longer and his back straightened a little.

Arthur was still smiling.

“Now you can go and tell everyone that you’ve lied to them for a year. That their happy royal couple is completely fake and their power and prosperity is built on a lie. Go on, I will wait.”

“I will tell the Jokers everything!” He threatened, surprised to hear his own voice instead of Alfred’s. Arthur didn’t look fazed.

“Feel free to. Tell them that you weren’t strong enough to stop your Queen. Of course, there is also the matter of covering up the King’s disappearance… Some might think you orchestrated it, to usurp your brother’s position. But, the choice is yours, of course. I am just a humble servant to the crown.”

For a moment, Matthew actually considered it. To go to Yao and tell him about everything Arthur has done. But then he remembered that truly, no one knew that Arthur’s power was his own. Every amazing thing Arthur did, every spectacular defense, every building he helped to build, all of that was attributed to the King. The public would have a hard time believing that all of this was a power of one man. Still, maybe it was worth a try…

The image of Arthur crying, lamenting his abandonment, fearing for his life entered his mind. Could he bring himself to damn Arthur, whose only fault was that he wanted to survive?

Yes, Matthew himself was suffering, but the country flourished. Wasn’t that the duty of the King?

“I am tired of being a puppet, Arthur.” He admitted, his voice broken. And for a moment, something like guilt crossed the Queen’s face. But it was gone as quickly as it has appeared.

“You agreed to it.” So he did. He lowered his eyes, searching for something, anything to concentrate on, to avoid spilling everything. Yet the floor, decorated with black spades provided him no support.

“Yes. Because I couldn’t bear to see you unhappy. Because I wanted to help. Because I love you. Always have.” He finally forced out and fell to his knees, overcome with emotion, with sadness and regret. He should have been stronger, should have convinced Arthur to leave with him, abandon the crown and simply live.

Suddenly, he felt hands on his cheeks.

He looked up, and was met with Arthur’s solemn face.

“And that is the worst part of it, isn’t it?” Arthur asked, planting a kiss on Matthew’s forehead.

“Life would have been so much more pleasant without love, don’t you agree?” Matthew could only nod his head, tears pooling in his eyes.

“I would love to force someone else through this predicament, but I can’t. I cannot risk anyone else knowing what truly happened. In life there is always a choice: “me” or “you”. No one is going to chose anything else than “me”. So this is what I am doing, Matthew. I’m choosing to save myself. I won’t let myself go to hell just because your brother wasn’t prepared to be the King.”

There was some emotion in Arthur’s voice, one Matthew couldn’t interpret and at the moment wasn’t really trying to. He was overcome with his own misery, with being rejected so effortlessly. Even if Alfred wasn’t here, Matt was still living in his shadow. There were few instances when he hated his brother, but this was one of them.

“Why can’t it be me? Why can’t you simply choose me?”

“Because that’s not a choice, my dear. I’m sorry.” And with a final kiss, Arthur was gone. All Matthew heard was a snap of fingers and his own features were gone, replaced with Alfred’s. Tears continued to run down his face. ****

This was hell.


	2. I know those eyes/ This man is dead

When he left his home, his head was filled with dreams. He was supposed to get to know his country, to see what exactly was he ruling. To meet the people, see the real problems first-hand, not the way the courtiers presented them. He wanted to be a good king. A loved one.

Maybe he should have explained that better when he shared his dream with Arthur. Maybe if he said everything plainly, without emotion getting in the way, maybe then they could have said goodbye peacefully. But that was not how it went. There was shouting, accusations and so much anger…

 _Why did you choose me if you wanted to abandon me right away?_ Arthur had screamed.

 _You are not even trying to understand! I am unprepared to be the king! I cannot learn from books, stop being so egocentric!_ Alfred shouted in reply and he left, just like that.

He was thinking of this journey since the day his mark appeared. Throughout all of his life, he had never thought that he could become a kings. So he didn’t p-ay attention to his studies, sometimes he listened to what Arthur told him and Matthew during their meetings but that was all. How could he, almost a commoner lead? How could he role, not knowing his own country? His people? Arthur, his mind full of books could never understand, for him knowledge was enough. Facts, statistics, reports. That was all he needed to make a decision. It was cold, Alfred thought. That was why left. To learn to rule in his own right, not allowing Arthur to make all the decisions for him. But how could he argue, if he had no experience, no knowledge, no arguments?

He had to be independent to be the king. Not to be a puppet for Arthur to use.

So he had left the castle in them idle of the night, leaving his husband alone in their shared bed.

At first it was exactly how Alfred had dreamt it would be – he had time to talk to his subjects, totally incognito.  He enjoyed local customs in every town and every village he encountered, he learned a lot about farming, he finally lived. He could do it!

And then he got caught.

Someone had noticed that he had plenty of gold with him. Someone told others. And one night while Alfred was walking through the dark streets of Briaria, enjoying the views, the vision suddenly disappeared and he felt strong hands immobilizing him. He fought against them, he tried to get free, but there were more of them and someone knocked him out with a strike to his head.

He woke up in some kind of cave.  Before his eyes could get adjusted to the darkness, he heard jeering voices, directed at him.

“How is it going, your Royal Highness?” For a second, Alfred’s heart stopped.  How could they know?

Apparently his confusion was visible on his face, because someone laughed and answered his unspoken question.

“Some of us attended the coronation, you know. Not every bandit is a rough, smelling peasant, as you royals like to think.” Said the stranger and his voice had some noble-like drawl to it.  Finally, Alfred’s yes got used to the darkness and in the minimal light of the torches, he could make out a group of people. The one who answered him was averagely dressed, but his face betrayed his noble blood.

“Why did you capture me? You’ve probably taken all of my money already.”

The noble stranger’s eyes shone dangerously in the light as he moved closer to what Alfred now saw to be a cell.

“Not all of it. Your Queen could probably pay us more. Why do you think you are alive?”

Oh. Would Arthur pay the ransom? They parted in anger, true, but he couldn’t wish him dead, right?

“I won’t write to him.” He said, just to be contrary. He couldn’t be seen as a sniveling weak king. Even if the band of robbers was the only ones to witness his bravery.

“You won’t have to. He will come searching for you the moment he figures out that he will be thrown away from the court without you.” Answered the nobleman, his mouth crooked in a cruel smile.

“What?”

At that, the group started laughing.

“Oh? Our noble ruler doesn’t know what happens to abandoned queens?” He didn’t. He had never thought… But then again, no one ever saw a Queen ruling without the King. Did they magically die with their husbands? Were they abandoned? Killed? So that no one would interrupt the next royal couple?

Fear spread through Alfred’s body.  Did Arthur know? Did he know what Alfred’s leave meant? Why hadn’t he told him?

“Well. Hope your Queen is smart, otherwise you will be here for a long time. There will be no new ruler as long as you are alive, so here’s hoping the Queen is as powerful as they say he is.” The menacing noble moved away and joined the others at the other side of the cave, where Alfred could see the fire and food.

Alfred himself was left on his own.

In the dark, he thought about Arthur.

*

He quickly lost a track of time. The days and nights mixed all together, since there was no sunlight to help him guess what hour it was.  Arthur still hasn’t come.

Maybe he couldn’t find him?

The band of thieves seemed to grow more concerned each time he saw them. Yet no one spoke to him, aside from the royals-hating noble. His name was George,  or at least that was how his companions addressed him.

And then, gods know how many days into his imprisonment, George came to him, clearly angry.

“What’s the name of your Queen?”

For a moment, Alfred didn’t want to answer. But then a horrible thought entered his mind. What if Arthur was dead? What if the monarchy fell while he was here, imprisoned?

“Arthur.”

“Well, apparently, he is not missing you much. We have just seen him, here in Briaria.”

How.

“What was he doing?” Something dangerous flickered in George’s eyes.

“Not looking for you, that’s for sure. There was an enemy attack on Briaria. No, there is no enemy to speak of.”

“What do you mean?”

“He burned them all. The whole party, just set on fire, as he watched from the distance. He wasn’t even smiling like a madman, nothing. Just a stone statue observing dozens of people dying in flames.”

That didn’t sound like Arthur at all. Arthur hated violence. He would prefer diplomacy over fighting any day. And even if he thought, he would stick to fair play, not use powerful magic, so…

“It’s not Arthur, then.” Alfred replied, confidently.  For a moment George looked like he pitied him.

“Oh, trust me. It is. He must have a powerful King to conduct such strong spells.”

A King? Arthur had another king? How? Who? Why wasn’t he looking for him? They were…

They had been in love.

Or maybe Alfred had been.

George left him then, and Alfred was left with his thoughts.

Arthur was here. And he left Alfred alone. Maybe he didn’t know? Still, he wasn’t searching for him at all it seemed. He ‘s found himself a new King and he had moved on… It hurt. It burned.  Was no one left to help him? Will he spent the rest of his days here, in the cave? Thieves weren’t going to kill the King. That was too grave a crime.  Was there no one waiting for him?

“What about my brother?”

“He disappeared without a trace a year ago” George answered.

Oh. Did Arthur leave him alone as well? Was power everything Arthur wanted after all? Poor Matthew… Poor Arthur. Poor Alfred.

For a while, everything was a blur.

*

“You don’t have any value now, you know that?” George told him at some point.

“I guess.”

“If we let you go, what will you do?”

Alfred gave himself time to think. He had plenty of ideas what to do with his eventual freedom, but he never thought he would be able to execute them.

“I don’t know. What would I see outside?”

George was no longer hostile as he was before. Was it familiarity or pity, Alfred didn’t know and didn’t care.

“An Empire. A superpower waiting to swallow up everything in its sights. Possibly starting with Diamonds.”

“Oh. Then I’m going to reclaim my throne with Diamonds’ help. And then I’m going to have a talk with my Queen.”

*

They let him go.  They even helped him to get to the Diamonds and to talk with the King of the country.  A band of thieves turned out to be a group of rebels, wanting to get rid of the monarchy, but feeling outnumbered by the Queen. With Alfred on their side, they felt they had the chance.

It was strange, to finally see the world after three years. He didn’t know he was locked up for so long, and yet, when he finally got used to the sunlight again, the world he saw was changed. 

Now, as he was riding in the Diamond’s carriage as one of the courtiers on his way to the royal Spades ball, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The country has changed a lot. The small lovely villages were now mechanized and efficient, and although the people seemed to be more wealthy, the cheerfulness they had before was gone from their faces. Riches destroyed their spirits, it seemed.

The anger Alfred kept going for the long months in his cell and then in the Diamond palace took this sight as its fuel.

Per his agreement with Francis, the Diamond’s King Alfred was returning to his motherland a traitor. He was here to get rid of the Queen.

And he would succeed.

With a mask on his face, with his posture and dull eyes, no one would see in him the lost King of the Spades.

He entered the ballroom, once belonging to him and his husband in the party of a foreign king. What an irony. Francis came to Spades to negotiate peace, but everyone knew it was fruitless. Diamonds and spades were at war almost constantly throughout the centuries and with the power Spades had now, getting rid of the strongest rival was the most logical step.

That’s why Arthur had to die.

And then Alfred would be able to take the throne again and sing the peace treaty.

The first hour of the ball wasn’t anything exceptional. Alfred was too caught up in his memories to fully see what was going on around him. Some people asked him for a dance, but he usually refused, absent-mindedly.

And then he heard it.

That voice.

“Dear guests! Let us rejoice tonight! Let us dance and feast until the morrow!” That was his voice. Alfred turned around and sure enough, there he was ,standing next to Arthur on the podium in front of the two thrones of the royal couple.  But how? Why was someone looking just like Alfred there? An impostor?

When he moved his head to look at the Queen, he met Arthur’s shocked gaze.  Alfred wanted to run.

His look-alike announced the waltz and the next moment the royal couple was gone, mixing in with the guests.  He could still escape and he was almost out of the room, when someone caught his elbow.

“ I was hoping for a dance, milord. You cannot exactly refuse the Queen.”

With ice in his veins, Alfred turned and looked straight into green eyes of his husband.

And Arthur was staring right back, fake smile long gone from his features.

“Indeed. I cannot.” Alfred replied, hoping that his voice didn’t shake. Arthur visibly shivered.

Alfred took his hand and lead him to the dancing floor, other couples making way for them.

As they began to dance, the thought were running wild in Alfred’s mind.  Did Arthur know? If he recognized Alfred did it mean…?

Arthur kept silent, following Alfred’s lead and not looking away from Alfred’s eyes.

The weight of how much Alfred had missed him crashed into him like a ton of bricks.

Arthur in his arms looked harmless, sad and hopeful at the same. He didn’t look like someone capable of murdering people in cold-blood.

The song ended, but Alfred didn’t let go of Arthur’s hand.

They still haven’t spoken to each other but this comfortable silence made it seem like they were frozen in time. Gone were assassination plans, the hurt and anger, the problems of state. There were only them, two people who longed for one another, swirling around in the world of their own.

Alfred didn’t know how long they were like this, but suddenly someone put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder and broke the spell.

“Arthur, dear it’s time to pay attention to other guests…” When Alfred’s double looked at him, he paled like a ghost. Alfred had enough. For a moment he allowed himself to forget about everything Arthur has done. But not anymore. He let go of Arthur and left the rooms as quickly as he could, his heart a mess.

He didn’t stop until he reached the gardens.

He was supposed to be over it. To be able to finally get rid of the evil Queen and bring peace to his land. He was supposed to be a good king. He wasn’t supposed to be still in love with someone who had become his enemy.

“Alfred!” Against his better judgment, he turned towards the voice. There, in the air. There he was, Arthur in his full warlock glory, his eyes shining blue and magic shimmering around him, as he allowed himself to land in front of Alfred.

“You’re mistaken…”

“Like hell I am!” For a moment Alfred wanted to deny it, but Arthur’s eyes were full with unshed tears, so he let go.

“You’ve got a new king.” He said instead. This was admission enough, because Arthur approached him, fury evident on his face.

“It was this or dying somewhere in the ditch, husband mine. “ He hissed and Alfred felt the rage once again burn in his veins.

“Do you know where I have been? I’ve been held captive for three years. Not once have you looked for me. Ha, I’m pretty sure you were relieved – instead of me you could make a puppet ready to obey your every wish.” He spat. Arthur recoiled as if he had been slapped.

“You left! You left me behind fully knowing what would happen to me if you did that! And you still left me for dead! Why would I look for husband who deemed me unimportant?” He shouted in return, tears spilling down his cheeks. That got through Alfred’s rage.

“I didn’t know!  Gods, I didn’t know… I thought you would wait for me, that’s all…”

Before he could utter anything more, Arthur threw his arms around Alfred’s neck and kissed him. And suddenly, everything seemed unimportant, all the hate, all the anger…They could work it through. With Alfred back, Arthur would stop his cruel ways, and they would make it work, they could make it work…

And then Arthur moaned in pain and something wet stained Alfred’s shirt. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with the last of light leaving Arthur’s eyes.  His magic sizzled around him one last time and disappeared alongside its Master. 

As Alfred lowered Arthur’s body to the ground, he noticed the silver edge protruding from the queen’s chest. But who…

“Yu two never noticed me when you were together.” Said someone and when Alfred lifted his eyes, he saw his double, whose face became unfocused as blue light melted from it. Then he was welcomed with tears-stained face of Matthew, his own brother.

“Why did you… Why?”

Matthew’s eyes betrayed madness within.

“You don’t deserve it. Villains do not deserve happy endings, you two don’t deserve it! After everything you have put me through, I wouldn’t suffer your happiness. Oh, no, you are going to live the hell I’ve been living for those three years!” And then, Matthew fell to his knees and started wailing aloud, as he took one of Arthur’s cold-dead hands into his own.

“Oh, Arthur. Can you look at me now?”

All Alfred could do was fall down next to his brother and cry.

Some part of him wished for Matthew’s blood, but Alfred was tired. Tired of pain, of suffering, of anger and hatred. He’s had enough.

No more monarchy.

No more marks, no more traditions.

No more prideful Kings and cunning Queens.

No more heart-broken brothers.

It was time to start anew.

He got up. He passed Matthew and lifted Arthur’s lifeless body. 

Arthur would become the last Queen of the Spades. A powerful Queen loved by his King.

And Alfred would become the first President of Spades, throwing away the tradition. He would live until the end of his days alone, cherishing the memory of his husband. Before his death he would publish a book containing the praise of freedom and the importance of knowing country’s people. It would be the first book any new president would be given while taking the office.

Matthew would remain the brother that disappeared a long time ago.

After all, the history is a story told by the winners of the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, so of course, the chapter was inspired still by "Prince Charmless" but also by the entirety of the musical "The Coount of Mone Cristo". The title comes from the song of the same name and the quote at the end is from the son "A story told".
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Also: Misunderstanings kill people.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first attempt at Hetalia fic. 
> 
> This part was heavily inspired by "Prince Charmless" video by Gremblin, check it out: https://youtu.be/taNySN4vPL8
> 
> The second chapter will be in turn inspired by Count of Monte Cristo musical, but I won't spoil which part. 
> 
> I hope you liked it and I hope you will share with me your thoughts!


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